We can all struggle with procrastination. Putting stuff off not only makes us feel bad but it can set us back in our careers and lives. So what do we do about it? Dr Tim Pychyl is as one of the world’s leading experts in procrastination. He has written two books about how and why we procrastinate, as well as many scientific papers. In this episode of Deep Dive I talk to Tim about what exactly procrastination is, how to nudge ourselves into better habits, and spirituality and flow. Tim is such a brilliant and knowledgable researcher and this conversation gave me fascinating look into the the psychology of procrastination.

0:00 Intro
1:58 Procrastination vs. delay
9:43 Why can procrastination feel good?
13:41 Getting started
21:10 Goals, discipline, motivation
33:54 How can we achieve effortlessness?
38:02 Spirituality and flow
45:00 How do we nudge ourselves into habits?
56:44 Procrastination as an emotional problem
1:07:28 Why tips and tricks don’t always work
1:13:15 Reading philosophy
1:15:14 Being a father

🔗 CONNECT WITH TIM

🐦 Twitter
💻 Website
📕 Solving The Procrastination Puzzle
📙 Procrastination, Health and Wellbeing

🔗 CONNECT WITH ALI

💌  Sign up to my weekly email newsletter
🎥 YouTube Channel
💻 Website
📸  Instagram
🐦  Twitter
👥 Linkedin
💙  The Friendzone Discord

📚Check out my New York Times Bestselling book Feel-Good Productivity!
Amazon
Website

📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield - https://geni.us/H7z29S
The Moral Animal by Robert Wright - https://geni.us/fwolPQ
Atomic Habits by James Clear - https://geni.us/lsrei
The Art of Procrastination by John Perry - https://geni.us/RbB8ZP
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - https://geni.us/h3XN0s6
The Power of Vulnerability by Berne Brown - https://geni.us/b19T
The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal - https://geni.us/L8oK5
The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer - https://geni.us/7Aa9a5
A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine - https://geni.us/A7bExOK
Happy by Derren Brown - https://geni.us/GHHI
The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman - https://geni.us/alvI2o
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman - https://geni.us/oZwL
The Way of Zen by Alan Watts - https://geni.us/rqlvW6
Radical Compassion by Tara Brach - https://geni.us/zypL
Affect Regulation Training by Matthias Berking - https://geni.us/UlSk9z
The Courage to Be by Paul Tillich - https://geni.us/cf0JR
Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor E Frankl - https://geni.us/nFjoNo

Find the show notes and the transcript on the website: https://aliabdaal.com/podcast/

Sponsored by Shortform

This episode is kindly brought to you by Shortform, the world's best provider of guides for non-fiction books. Shortform gives you comprehensive coverage of thousands of books, the key ideas, clearly and simply explained, plus smart commentary and analysis. It’s like your smartest friend teaching you about a book. Go to https://shortform.com/deepdive to get 20% off the annual premium subscription.

Leave a review

If you enjoy listening to the podcast, please do leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts - even one line helps! You can also Tweet @AliAbdaal with any feedback, thoughts from the lessons you've learnt from the episodes and we can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

Want to start your own podcast? We use Transistor! https://go.aliabdaal.com/transistor

Check out the episode on the Deep Dive YouTube Channel.

See privacy policy at https://transistor.fm/privacy